US imposes sanctions on Omani broker for smuggling Iranian oil
Aug 13, 2021
Washington [US], August 13 : The United States imposed sanctions against Omani broker Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi, other individuals and businesses for their alleged role in smuggling oil from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), Treasury Department said in a statement on Friday.
"Today, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating individuals and businesses involved in an international oil smuggling network that supports Iran's IRGC-QF," the statement read. "OFAC's action targets a foreign broker, Mahmood Rashid Amur Al Habsi, who has partnered with senior IRGC-QF officials and used several companies to facilitate shipments of Iranian oil to foreign customers, including buyers in East Asia," it further read.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that Al Habsi used several companies in different countries.
"Two of these companies are based in Oman and one is registered in Liberia. The broker also controls a company in Romania. The broker and those companies are being sanctioned pursuant to Executive Order 13224," the statement read.
